Produce no waste
- hnyssen2
- Jul 24
- 2 min read
This is a permaculture principle from David Holmgren. It is a key principle in permaculture in that it asks us to, not produce zero waste, but to change our thinking around it. Instead of seeing things we don't need or use anymore, see what it could transform into.
In nature there is no waste. There is only food for another organism. A leaf falls in the forest in Autumn, it protects the living soil below it over a cold winter, and provides a home for sleeping bugs. As the weather warms, it begins to decompose and feeds the worms and soil life beneath it. As they produce their own waste through digestion (yes poop) they feed the emerging seedlings that will grow to be a new tree.
So how do we apply this principle in our homes? Food waste goes to feed chickens or the compost. The chickens feed us in turn through their eggs, and the compost feeds the veggie patch. Water waste goes to the garden. Urine is easily used in the garden, poo as well (but do your research first).
What about rubbish? Cardboard and paper goes to compost or mulch. garden trimmings go back to the chickens/compost, chipped for mulch, or burnt to heat the house.
Plastic is a tricky one. We don't have a solution for soft plastics right now, and even other plastics seems to just end up in Indonesian waterways instead of our own. My advice would be to avoid buying it where possible. Glass and aluminum is well recycled.
I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty. The big polluters aren't families but corporations. They are the ones who need to take responsibility for their waste if we are to make a real difference. "In 2020-21, mining produced 620 mega tonnes of waste – 44 times the quantity of municipal waste (14 mega tonnes). Mining waste is mainly made up of a slurry of pulverised rock and water, 96% of which was estimated to have been deposited in tailing dams."
But by changing our thinking on waste, we open up real opportunities to grow more and be more like nature. You have free soil and free fertiliser right on hand. You have free chicken food and potentially free eggs coming in. You don't have to buy that stuff, you're already chucking it in the bin!
Leni
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